In This Issue:
By Sajid Iqbal
Let me ask you something¦ If someone insulted your mum or dad, how would you react? 'I'll kick his head in' is what you will probably say, yeah? If someone insulted your sister, brother, husband or wife what then? You'll probably react with anger, flex your muscles and may be use every swear word you can think of, am I right? We all know that’s not the best way to behave, but sometimes when someone goes too far you simply lose the plot, innit?
By Abid Hussain
Is music permissible? What are the Islamic rulings on drawing the human form? Is dance Haram? These and so many other questions are constantly on the minds of Muslims, young and old and from all cultural backgrounds.
The Islamic faith has a long established tradition of artistic practice dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and stretching from the tip of Morocco to the furthest reaches of the Far East.
Traditional Islamic art forms include calligraphy, mosaics, geometric design and illumination. Textiles, metal work, craft and pottery have provided avenues to bring artistic expression into the home of every Muslim through ornately designed prayer rugs to beautifully decorated glass and tableware.
Mohammed Ali is an artist who combines urban graffiti and Islamic calligraphy. He is based in Birmingham but his work takes him all over the world. The Revival's Irfan Jalil spoke to him about his source of inspiration and the place of art in Islam. How would you describe the work that you do? It's about the fusion of graffiti art with Islamic art. Fusing these two elements together to create an urban spiritual art form.
How did you start out as an urban artist?
By Sajid Iqbal
Ali bumps into Jamal at a local wedding…
Ali: Salaaaaaaaaaaaaaam Jam! Wagwaan? Jamal: Wasalaam Ali. I'm OK, alhamdulillah, how are ya bro?
Ali: I'm buzzin'. Just had me grub and now I look like I'm up the duff! Jamal: Yep, six months I would say! Hahaha...
Ali: You're a funny guy for an ayatollah rock n roller!
Jamal: So how's the new and improved Ali? You not gone back to your old ways I hope?
Ali: You got it Jam! I am the new and improved, the master of disaster, the king of sting, ya know the main digger behind the trigger.
Before you start getting all worked up and start sending death threats to the Editor, just relax. And breathe. Muslims seem to be uncomfortable discussing issues which ‘make Muslims look bad’ – others may even go as far as to deny that they actually happen. However, Allah (swt) has commanded Muslims to stand up for justice. It makes no difference if it affects one individual or thousands. We need to have the confidence and courage to admit our shortcomings and stand up for the oppressed. Even if the oppressors are Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) successfully united the warring tribes of Arabia and built a new social system that would go on to form the basis of an Empire, the like of which had never been seen before. This was only within the 23 years since he received his first revelation from Allah (swt), and ten years after he had emigrated from Mecca to Medina with the rest of his followers. Allah (swt) judged that his work had now been done, and so the Prophet (pbuh) began to near his death. Sa'id ibn 'Abd Allah related from his father that as the Prophet (pbuh) became more ill, the people of Medina gathered around the Mosque. Al-Abbas (ra), al-Fadl (ra) and Ali (ra) entered to tell him that they were outside. He stretched out his hand and said "Here,"
The belief in the Day of Judgement is a fundamental of Islam. This is when Allah (swt) will be the only Judge and no-one will be able to help us - not even our own parents! On the Day of Judgement, the hair of a child will turn grey. [Bukhari]. This shows the severity of that Day where even children will be stricken with fear, although they are innocent and going to Heaven (Jannah). The only thing which will benefit us will be our good deeds. We will either be told that we have been successful thus will go into Heaven, or have failed so will end up in Hell.
Heaven
What does Heaven look like?
The Qur’an and Hadith reveal many detailed descriptions of Heaven:
Q. I have recently read that Walkers use a small amount of alcohol in some flavours of their crisps (Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli, Doritos Chilli Heat Wave and Quavers Cheese), to enhance the flavour. Does that make them Haram?
A. It has become evident that some flavourings in some crisps consist of Haram ingredients. Therefore, as per the rule of the Shariah, once something permissible has something Haram added to it and cannot be separated, then the whole item becomes Haram. In which case, those crisps with Haram ingredients are Haram and therefore not permissible to eat. Q. Can a Muslim give Haram food to a non-Muslim?
By Adnan Adrees
In the not so distant future…
“As mankind becomes more dependant on the science of what they can see and understand; when the knowledge of the blessed becomes lost to the antiquities of time and the warnings of the coming age are seen as superstition, the world shall become susceptible to the lure of the false redeemer. Catastrophe shall befall as the towers of gold crumble to rubble and evil shall rise once more. When the cursed arrived, few shall see and even fewer shall believe. But even in the darkest of times there is still hope.â€
Selected messages received by the Editor
Salaam
The website is great and I think The Revival is doing a great job because it has certainly changed me. I started to pay more attention to Islam after I read my first revival magazine. So carry on with the great work, you are doing a great job in making today's generation realise what Islam really is.
Ayesha
Birmingham Salam
Hi, I recently got hold of "The Revival" in Birmingham. I live in Sheffield and really would like this magazine to be available down here. It has absolutely opened my eyes and I'm sure many other young people would appreciate it as well.
Thanks
Muna Omar
Sheffield Assallamu Allaikum
There are many words we read and hear but aren’t too sure what they mean. So The Revival attempts to define some Islamic terms used in this issue:
al-Kawthar – a river in paradise. On the Day of Judgment the faithful believers will be led to al-Kawthar where they will drink only once and will never thirst again.
Anbiya – are the chosen Prophets of Allah (swt). There have been over 124,000 Prophets sent to mankind. In the Qur’an Allah (swt) mentions the names of 25 Prophets. The 5 most well known Prophets of Islam are Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses) Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all).
By Irfan Jalil
So your mum's on your back telling you to get hitched and move out. But all your cousins are married and you were never any good with meeting girls at college. What does a good Muslim boy or girl like you do? You get on-line and search for an e-bride or e-husband!
Q. Are Muslim students allowed to sit in Sex Education lessons? What does Islam say about Sex Education in general? Answer by Shaykh Salim Ghiza In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent and Merciful.
Sex education is a very important part of life and all Muslims who are of marriageable age must learn what is permissible with their partners and what isn’t. However, the purpose of sex education in schools in the UK is not about teaching children how to refrain from sex until they are married but they teach them how to practice safe sex. As sex before marriage is not permissible in Islam this sort of education to the children is also not permissible and therefore Haram.
By Yaqub Bell & Alveena Salim
The Revival team had exclusive backstage passes at the swanky Excel Centre in London at the Global Peace and Unity Event in November 2007. We met up, collected our passes, went backstage and decided against sampling the tasty strawberry’s dipped in the chocolate fountain in case we smeared chocolate all over our tops and looked like fools when interviewing the performers. After the short but sweet press conference the organisers arranged some interviews for The Revival. We interviewed a number of performers including the US based Nasheed group Seven8Six. The talented singing group consists of Shahaab Quraishi, Omar Razzacki, Zafar Razzacki, Muhammad Saadullah (Saad), and Muhammad Saeedullah (Saeed).
Test Your Knowledge - Islamic Quiz 2008
1. In which city was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) born?
* Mecca
* Riyadh
* Madina
* Jeddah
2. Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) father, Abdullah, died before he was born, but how old was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when his mother Aminah died?
* 2
* 6
* 8
* 9
3. How old was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when Angel Jibra’il (as) appeared to him, in a cave at Mount Hira in Mecca, with the first revelation of the Holy Quran?
* 11
* 21
* 23
* 40
4. The Islamic year is based on the 12 months of the lunar calendar, not the solar calendar. What is the name of the last month in the Islamic calendar?
* Rabi Al-awwal
* Ramadan
* Dhul Hijjah
Khushoo means devotion. Khushoo is when one's complete attention during Salah is to Allah (swt). Yes, that is more than normal. Only thing is that the devil does not want you to do that. That pesky little bugger would rather that you concentrate on other important things. Like what you will have for lunch or thinking about the last EastEnders episode or you might be re-playing the last United game in your head.... Goal!!!! Oops, what was I doing? Anyway, time for the third Sajdah... Anyway, you're probably wondering what the big deal is. Some of the sahaba asked "What is Ihsan (perfection)?" Allah's Apostle replied, "To worship Allah (swt) as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you." (Bukhari 2:47)
Comments
how cum when i click on an article nothing comes up???
Rocky
The articles have not been uploaded ... yet.
Magazines just come back from printers about a day or so ago. So they're going out to distribution and someone will post up the articles really soon.
So stay tuned folks.
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i love the new magezine it looks intresting as always i cant wait to read it
"to allah we belong and to him we return"
Ive read it, picked it up in some takeway in Oldham. Some very interesting articles. Its worth the wait.
No not the gum drop buttons! – Gingy
Im based in London, where would I be able to obtain a copy? Is it distributed in any particular mosque/centre/area??
May Allah shine sweet faith upon you this day and times beyond. May your heart be enriched with peace, and may your home be blessed always. Ameen.
Nybody knw hw i culd get deze deliverd to my local mosque?
Slms,
I am based in london and get every magazine which comes out sent to me for distribution. if you want to get it to your local mosque, Muslim business, youth project, local talk or just for you to distribute there should be a itribution section where you can get it delivered to you or write to the editor.
Wassalam
Issue 12 is now uploaded. Sorry about the delay.
i see sum articles missing...such as THE WEDDING PLANNER, BRITANS GOT TALENT and A NEW SUPERHERO HAS ARRIVED
Rocky
'The Wedding Planner' about online marriage sites is indeed not posted there.
But 'A new Superhero' is called 'Whispers in the Dark' and 'Britain's got Talent' is just and advert about joining the revival team, which is available online.
Don't just do something! Stand there.
salamz great issue but i moved to toronto 4 weeks ago so i have 2 read it all on the net which is annoyin! newayz tke care all
dua!
xAx
'A book holds a house of gold'
When is Issue 13 due???
Within the first week or two of Ramadan.
Back in BLACK
hi i found out about the revival from a friend i was woundring how can i get hold of the magazine??????? do you have to order it???? will you please email me. thank you
The Magazine is distributed every 2 months (give or take a few days). It mostly depends on where abouts you live. We distribute up and down the country from mosques, study circles, take outs, certain shops etc. If however on the off chance your in an area where we dont distribute you can subscribe and we'll send it to your house.
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